Heaven's Door, Hell's Window
by WinglessDreams
Summary: No one expected a 3-year-old to eventually become one of the scariest ninjas. No one expected a neglected blond to be aquainted with her. No one expected two others to rise up and unleash a storm onto the Shinobi world. Sadly, expect the unexpected.
1. Prologue: A Change is Made

**Prologue**

Rain falls.

"_-, why are you…"_

"_Did you do it? Did you send him… to do it?"_

They mask the tears.

"_What do you mean?"_

"_Don't beat around the bush! You know exactly what I mean!"_

They show the storm in our hearts

"… _I did… But-"_

"_Stop. That's all I need to hear."_

But in the end,

"_No! Don't leave! Don't leave the village!"_

"… _I wasn't planning to…"_

_A sigh._

The scars are still-

"_I'm turning in my resignation right away."_

"_No! -, they'll-"_

Indelible.

XxxX

"_-nee-chan…"_

"_Gomen ne (sorry) , Gaki… I have to leave…"_

"_Why? Don't you love the village?"_

"…"

"_No… but you're a ninja-"_

"_Not anymore. I'm not… a ninja of Konoha anymore, Gaki…"_

"_No way… but, but, you were so good and… and…"_

"_It's not my skill, but what I'm working for that's the problem. I can't… stay… the way I was, knowing what goes behind the shadow of the fire. It's too hard to turn a blind eye, when they have…"_

"_Is it because of Nii-san?"_

"_Gaki…"_

"_You were never the same after… Nii-san…"_

"… _I need to go."_

"_Take me with you!"_

"_No."_

"_Nee-chan!"_

"_There's still hope for you. You have yet to become Hokage. Please… for me… for us… become Hokage and cure the village from what it has become, so that there won't be any more… of him… of you… of us… Please do this for us, Gaki!"_

"…"

"…"

"_Alright. Because it's Nee-chan and Nii-san… I will do everything to make Konoha a peaceful haven. I will grow strong, so that the next time we meet, I'll be a shinobi that even you will be proud of."_

_A smile._

"_That's my Gaki."_

"_Nee-chan?"_

"_I'll be back."_

"_Nee-chan!"_


	2. Chapter 1: Rising Storms

**Hellos! A new story! One that I've been meaning to post for a long time even though I won't guarantee that I'll update it anytime soon! Yes, I'm hyper today! Sorry, Winter Serenade is halfway done but I think it'll take another day or two before I can get it up. I'm facing a sort of block… Well, enjoy this one!**

**Heaven's Door, Hell's Window**

**Chapter 1**

**With Naruto**

"It's been a whole 5 years since you've left, huh?" Naruto looked out of the window to his small, dark apartment. "Even though you come to visit me on my birthday every year, it's still kinda sad that you don't live in Konoha anymore."

The smooth cloth of the dark blue hitai-ite slithered through his fingers and fell onto the window ledge. "I'm a Genin now… Team 7 is great for me… we have a lazy ass, perverted teacher, but he's the Copy Ninja… Sakura and Sasuke-teme are great team mates… in a way. We work together… somewhat… and we're getting stronger each day. I think I'll be nearing Chunin level soon… Strange, huh, how the difference in levels are so significant in the Genin levels… All we're getting are D-ranks, but missions are missions and I get paid too. Besides, the D-ranks allows for the time and energy to train…"

The first rays of dawn broke out in the far horizon.

"Well! I guess I'd better start training now! Kakashi-sensei will probably just take another 3 hours to get to Training Ground 7 so I'll just use this time to do my conditioning," Naruto stretched and pulled on his orange jacket. "After all, I need to train hard… if not, I'll never catch up to you, ever. Right… Shiko-nee-san? I'll surely rise up to your level one day, dattebayo!"

**With Hinata**

Hinata knelt outside her room, facing the gardens. Looking forlornly at the trees bathing in darkness, she fingered the hitai-ite in her hands.

"Neji-nii-sama, it's b-been 5 ye-years… If you had st-stayed behind, you - you would have already b-become a Genin by n-now, and probably w-would be aiming for Chunin s-soon…" Hinata's hands trembled. "I'm s-so… so s-sorry… sorry that you… you had t-to leave… be-because of m-me… S-sometimes… I-I wish it w-was me that… was b-born into t-the Branch F-family instead of y-you…" She touched her forehead, where a dark seal was etched on. "N-not that… it makes.. a-any of a d-differ-rence now… huh?"

Dawn broke. The trees lavished themselves in the golden light. Hinata shielded her eyes from the rays that reflected off her hitai-ite.

"Ah… it's a-another start of a-a new d-day…" Hinata looked at the bright golden sky. "I s-should start… g-getting ready f-for… training, shouldn't I-I… Right-t, Neji-nii-sama…?"

**Motel in 53th District…**

"It's a new day, huh?" A brown-haired girl sat on the ledge of the window. A boy behind her sat up on one of the twin beds in the room, rubbing his eyes.

"Today's the day we start that annoying mission, huh?" the boy picked up a long strip of cloth on his bedside table and wrapped it around his forehead.

The girl smirked. "Heh. You have the easy job. Don't complain."

"Ah, that's right. You hate acting the civilian. If you really detest doing it, then you should have exchanged roles with him while you could." The boy stood up, stretching.

"It's not that easy …" the girl threw back a lock of her hair. "That guy fits the image perfectly. He should be the one with that role. Besides, he left before we got the mission."

The boy smiled, "But you could have done it too. You know you can."

She smiled back. "Yeah, but then again any of us could have. He's just lucky he has his dear master as back-up."

He took out a roll of used bandages from his bag stowed under the bed and began wrapping up his right arms and legs. "Yeah… he's lucky. By the way, remind me again why we are here in Konoha. We both came from here. It's not… advisable to be seen here."

"Don't worry. It's been five years, and we both have changed. We're safe, as long as we don't go near those people that we were close to before. The target is supposed to be asking for help in Konoha. We're just trying to attach ourselves with the client. Did you pickpocket the guy yesterday?"

The teen tied the ends of the bandage together. "Yeah, I did. Don't think he noticed though. He was drinking so heavily I suspect he's just going to think he drank the money away." He picked up a small pouch from the bedside table and tossed it to the girl. It was then that he looked closely at the girl. The beams of sunlight shooting through the window were giving light to let them see each other more clearly. "Is that a henge? Your hair colour…"

"Ah, this?" she ran a hand through the locks. "I dyed this while you were sleeping. The original colour was a bit too obvious…"

"But brown… really isn't you, Shiko." _I liked the old colour better._

"That's the point, isn't it?" she smirked. _Sorry, just bear with this for a while._

**Hokage Tower, noon…**

The Hokage looked up at Team 7. "Back for a mission?"

Kakashi nodded behind his porn, passing the mission report scroll to the old man behind the desk. "We've finished the last D-rank you gave us, and we had some time, so I've decided to let them have another mission."

"I see. Great job, Kakashi. Your team have already broken the record of most missions done in a month within graduating from the Academy. Though… it looks like your Genin are a bit worn out. Why not take a break? We don't have any more D-ranks today," the Hokage looked through his scroll.

"We're worn out by the number of D-ranks we've been flying through!" Sakura half yelled. Sasuke smirked, looking away. The look on his face said it all.

"Then why not a C-rank?" Kakashi suggested. He flipped the page of his novel (cough, smut) and started giggling not-so-discreetly.

"Oh yeah! A C-rank! We've been asking for one since ages! We rock, dattebayo!" Naruto pumped a fist into the air.

"Hokage-sama, these are just Genin fresh from the Academy-" Iruka, who was on duty, tried to dissuade the Hokage.

"And yet they've done more missions than the rest of the rookie Genin teams to date. Let them do it, Iruka-kun. Let's see… We have an escort mission to Wave country here. Minimum risk and it should take a week or so…" the Hokage passed the scroll to Kakashi. He took it and scanned it briefly.

"We'll take it."

"Yeah!" Naruto exclaimed. Sasuke 'hmph'-ed and looked away, but had a pleased look on his face. Sakura smiled nervously, but her eyes were filled with anticipation.

"Then let's meet your clients. Iruka-kun, please escort the two in…"

"Hai!" Iruka slipped through the door and came back moments later with two civilians. One was an old man, with a bushy white beard dribbled with sake. He was dressed in casual civilian clothing and had a straw hat slung over his neck and pushed to the back on top of a rather large backpack. A pinkish tint coloured his cheeks as he hiccupped and took another swig from his sake bottle. He was clutching on the shoulder of a young girl beside him, trying to keep himself from falling. She has messy brown hair tied in a high pony tail as well as soft green eyes, laced with annoyance. She was wearing a pink yukata and sandals. On her back were two long packages wrapped in silk cloth embroidered with birds and clouds. There was no sign of any other baggage.

"Here, let me help you." For once, Kakashi had actually put away his Icha Icha and gone over to help prevent the old man from falling and taking the much smaller girl with him.

"Thank you… Shinobi-san…" the girl bowed slightly.

The old man hiccupped again and appraised Team 7. "I paid for a C-rank and all I get are a bunch of brats?"

"Technically, I paid for the C-rank… but I don't see the problem with this team, Tazuna-san." The girl looked away to the Genin. "I'm Amamiya Shiko, an apprentice black smith. Pleased to meet you! Please take care of me for the next week!"

The old man hiccupped. "I'm Tazuna, the expert bridge builder. You brats better give me the top-notch special protection until I finish that bridge in Wave!"

Naruto grinned, "Leave it to us! We'll get you there safe and sound! Just watch! We'll beat down all the ninjas we see on the way that tries to harm you!"

"Naruto-baka! This is a C-rank! We won't be seeing ninjas!" Sakura whacked Naruto on the head.

Beside Kakashi, Tazuna tensed. It didn't go unnoticed by Kakashi.

"Is something wrong, Tazuna-san? Scared of rogue ninjas?" He teased. Tazuna went pale. Kakashi gave a small sigh behind his mask. "What's wrong, Tazuna-san?"

"Tazuna-san?" the Hokage was staring intently at the bridge builder.

"Ahaha! It's nothing at all!" he laughed boisterously, picking up his sake flask.

**So, one hour later, at Konoha Gates…**

"Oh yes! We finally get to leave Konoha! A mission!" Naruto punched the air happily. Behind him, Sakura sighed into her hand. "I bet we're the first of the rookies to get a C-rank! Dattebayo!"

"Hey, hey, will I really be alright with these brats?" Tazuna looked at the three kids.

Kakashi looked up from his Icha Icha. "Well, I'm a Jounin so you'll be alright for sure. Besides, these brats are strong. Bandits and thieves will be no match for them."

"Tch," he looked away and reached for his sake bottle.

A hand slapped his away from the bottle. Tazuna turned around and glared. "Hey!"

Shiko glared back at him. "No drinking! It's going to pull us back!"

Tazuna sulked but put the bottle away into his backpack.

"Well!" Kakashi turned to the gates. "Shall we go?"

"Great!"

**On the road to Wave Country… 4 hours later**

Sasuke and Naruto were leading the way, with Shiko and Tazuna right behind them and Sakura and Kakashi bringing up the rear. Sakura was scanning the skies while Naruto was scanning the trees and surrounding. Sasuke kept his attention right at the road.

"Ne, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked.

"Hm, Sakura?"

"Are there ninjas in Wave?"

"No… Wave is purely a civilian country. They don't have ninjas like Konoha does," Kakashi replied, one eye (actually, the only eye) kept on the smut in front of him.

SPLOSH!

All eyes turned. Kunais were even raised. Shiko looked down. One of her legs was drenched from stepping into a puddle of water. Kunais were still raised.

Shiko looked at the shinobi. "It… hasn't rained for a few days, has it?"

Instantly, things moved quickly. Two figures instantly rose from the water and caught Shiko in their arms. Heavy, metal gauntlets and claws wrapped themselves around her.

"Give us the old man and this pretty bitch survives!" one of them called out, putting his claw to her neck. The female client gulped, looking straight at Kakashi.

"Don't panic, Shiko-san, we'll get you out of there!" Sakura yelled. She grabbed a handful of kunai and threw it at them.

"Idiot!" Naruto intercepted the kunais with a few of him own carefully displaced shuriken.

"Who're you calling an idiot, dead last?" Sakura hollered, rounding on the blond kid.

"You'll hit Shiko-san!" Naruto yelled back. "Those guys probably won't hesitate to use her as a shield!"

"You wouldn't know that!"

"Stop bickering!" Sasuke, finally having enough of the yells, shouted back. "This isn't a playground!"

While the Genin were bickering among themselves, the three who were still standing in the puddle, two of which were holding the third hostage, sighed, feeling strangely left out by the Konoha ninjas.

Kakashi, meanwhile, took the chance to send a Kage Bushin to sneak behind the two missing-nins and knock the two men out with a quick chop to the neck from behind. After tying them up, with the aid of his bushin, he looked up at Tazuna and eye smiled creepily, saying, "So… care to explain, Tazuna-san?"

"Eh heh heh…" Tazuna rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

**Half an hour later…**

"So here's the situation: Tazuna-san lied about the mission. He actually has a few Kiri missing-nins on his trail. An evil business man named Gatou wants to stop him from completing his bridge at all cost." Kakashi looked at his party of 6. Tazuna bowed his head in shame. "From here, we only need 2 hours to reach Wave. But if we were to go back, then that would take another 4-5 hours. Sun sets in less than 3 hours. I think we all know the dangers of staying outdoors at night, especially with two civilians.

This is no longer a C-rank. I've interrogated the two men. They're the Demon Brother of Kirigakure. Missing-nins. They have told me that Momochi Zabuza is working for Gatou. Which means…"

Sasuke completed the sentence for him. "We have an A-rank missing nin coming after us to kill this old man."

"Hey! But if Tazuna-san goes back to Konoha, then why would they want to kill him still?" Sakura protested.

"If… you didn't want that bridge finished… then just kill the roots of it and let it be over with. In this case, it's Tazuna-san. So, if Tazuna-san is dead, then Gatou would never have to worry about the bridge again," Naruto said, looking down. "That gives us a lot on his character, doesn't it?"

Kakashi nodded. "That's true. From here on, this is no longer a C-rank. It has to be at least a B or A-rank. This is no mission for a bunch of Genins."

"That's… not good," Shiko said. Kakashi turned to her. She smiled, "I need to deliver these two as soon as possible! And, I have an appointment with someone in Wave tomorrow. If we turn back now, then…"

"Well…" Kakashi sighed. "I'll leave it to you twerps. Do you all want to continue with this mission or not?"

An unanimous decision on the spot. "Yeah!"

"Right… Did I even need to ask?" Kakashi stretched. "So on we go! Don't worry, Shiko-san, we'll get you to Wave safe and sound! Team 7, do formation 4. Ensure nothing escapes you."

"Yeah!"

**In Wave Country, on the way to Tazuna's house…**

"There's… something wrong in the air…" Naruto stopped in his tracks and sniffed the air. "I smell… blood… a sickening strong stench of blood…"

Kakashi scanned the surroundings warily. "Then, that means he's near, then…"

SHING! A large zanbato flew out from the trees and sped towards the group. Immediately, everyone dived, with Sakura and Sasuke throwing Tazuna to the ground and Kakashi pulling Shiko to her knees.

"Heh, so you all aren't just a bunch of brats, huh?"

"Momochi Zabuza… Kirigakure's Bloody Mist…" Kakashi slowly got up, preparing a kunai. "You three - guard Tazuna-san and keep an eye on Shiko-san. Make sure none of them comes to harm."

All three Genins backed up and surrounded both of their clients. Sakura began making hand seals for a Genjutsu.

Zabuza noticed the handseals. "So your brats do know some tricks. Still, they're still way too green to be out here. Does the little girl think she can fool me with an elementary Genjutsu like that?" Sakura jumped, and the Genjutsu dropped.

Kakashi pulled up his hitai-ite and exposed his Sharingan eye. "… I'm sorry, but it seems like I'll have to use this. I need to end this match quickly."

"Seeing the Sharingan so quickly into the battle? I'm honored…" Zabuza jumped onto the lake, hands speeding through handseals. "Kirigakure no Jutsu…"

Mist began filling up the area. Sasuke cursed and motioned for them to form a tighter circle. "Damn, in this situation, a Hyuuga would be best…"

"But Sasuke-kun, the Sharingan is the best Doujutsu! Uh… not that… you have it…" Sakura backed up nervously. Sweat trickled down her neck. "This killer intent… he's strong…"

Behind them, Tazuna bent down and heaved, emptying his stomach.

"Keep your guard up. Zabuza's a master at silent killing. Don't let him get close to our clients! I can't control this Sharingan well yet, but I'll make sure no harm comes along to this team!" Kakashi said as he quickly scanned the surroundings. The trembles of the genin alleviated slightly.

"Such nice, pleasant words…" the words seem to come from all about them. "These brats haven't had their first kill yet, huh? It just shows how far Konoha's standards have fallen."

"They aren't like you, Zabuza, who massacred their entire Genin batch just to graduate from the Academy," Kakashi said.

"Genin these days are soft…"

"There!" Sasuke spun around and stabbed his kunai at the figure approaching him from a blind spot. The Zabuza who was standing there exploded into water.

"Mizu Bushin, on top of Kirigakure no Jutsu?" Sakura exclaimed. "How does he have so much chakra? That's more than Sasuke-kun too!"

A low, guttural chuckle emitted. "I'm a Jounin, unlike you, missy…" Silhouettes of Zabuza filled the mist around them. "And did you think that a little kid like that black head could match up to me? The blond, on the other hand…"

"Naruto!"

"On to it!" Naruto jumped and launched a dozen of kunais at the bushins, dispersing them easily.

"Your Genin brats have skill, but… As I've said, they're green!" Zabuza took advantage of the split second that Naruto's had jumped into the air and infiltrated the circle. This time his zanbato swung towards Tazuna's neck. "This is the end…"

KLANG! Kakashi leapt there in time to block the attack. "I won't give you the chance!" Sparks flew as the metals clashed. The Genin backed away warily, with Sasuke keeping a tight grip on Tazuna.

"Tch! So be it!" Zabuza shunshined away to the lake and started performing seals. "Suiton-"

"Oh no you don't!" Kakashi began performing hand seals. "Katon: Goukyakyuu no Jutsu!"

The giant fire ball engulfed the entire surface of the lake. Steam rose from the lake. Zabuza was nowhere to be found.

"Did sensei get him?" Sakura whispered.

"No… I still sense him…" Kakashi backed up into the circle. He turned to both his clients. "Are you two okay?"

Tazuna nodded wearily, sweat dripping off his forehead. Kakashi turned to Shiko. She nodded once, clutching onto the straps that held her two packages to her back tightly.

"Good." Kakashi turned back to the battle. "It's going to get a bit rough from here… Naruto, back me up. Sakura-"

"WHY DOES THE DOBE-"

"Because he's more skilled than you two!" Kakashi snapped back. Sakura bowed her head down. Kakashi took a deep breathe and continued, "As I was saying, Sakura, set up another Genjutsu this time. Make it so that he can't sense us. The distortion one I taught you would be good."

"But sensei, that's draining and tiring!"

"Are we in a life threatening situation or not?" Kakashi snapped. "If you want to save your chakra reserves in exchange for dying, then get out of here! I'll ask Sasuke to do it instead! Sasuke, do the Genjutsu. You know it well enough. While you're at it, swap the all the horse handseals for the rooster handseals. That'll make it portable. While Naruto and I fight, you will lead them back to Tazuna's house. Got that?"

Sasuke nodded in affirmation. Sakura

"Good. Naruto, you know what to do!" Kakashi prepared himself for the fight. As if on cue, Momochi Zabuza appeared in the mist, holding the zanbato at them. "Go!"

Sasuke went through the handseals, and moments later, the air around them distorted, making it hard to spot them, or even confirm the numbers. He them quickly lead the two clients away from the battle scene, with Sakura tagging along behind uncertainly.

Kakashi charged towards Zabuza with the kunai in his hand. Naruto went through the handseals for another Futon: Daitoppa.

"Letting your brats go that easily?" Zabuza commented as they clashed again. He back up, stepping into the lake.

"Sasuke's good. He'll be able to ward off the Mizu Bushin you sent out," Kakashi said. He took a step onto the lake, using chakra to hold him there. The instant they parted, Kakashi leapt away into the air to allow Naruto to release the Wind jutsu.

Zabuza lunged to the side, avoiding the attack.

"Kage Shuriken no Jutsu!" Naruto threw several shurikens towards the lake. The several shurikens became hundred of the Zabuza, while Kakashi avoided all the lethal weapons by slipping away into the trees.

Zabuza didn't escape unscathed. He growled, swiping away at the shurikens, but they still managed to slip past his sword and embed themselves into his sinewy flesh. Zabuza raised his zanbato at Naruto after the barrage of weapons were over, and beckoned Naruto to come forward. Naruto gave a battle yell and charged.

Only to find himself waist deep in icy-cold lake water.

"Ah!" Naruto tried to retreat to land, but Zabuza went through his handseals faster than Naruto could waddle out of the water, and the genin was trapped in the sphere of ice-cold water.

"Suiton! Suirou no Jutsu!" Zabuza finished off with a sadistic smirk. "Let your sensei watch as you slowly die a painful death!"

"Not a chance!" Kakashi burst out of the trees, a Raikiri charged up in his hands.

"That's not going to work!" MIzu Bushins rose out from the water and charged towards Kakashi.

"Naïve."

Zabuza spun around quickly to see another Kakashi there, Raikiri crackling dangerously.

"Damn it!" He withdrew his hand from the water prison and rolled away. The prison dropped, and Naruto was dropped back into the lake. He was on all fours, coughing violently to get the water out of his lungs.

Meanwhile, Zabuza, who finally thought he had avoided the attack, gasped in shock as the Kakashi who had snuck up behind him disappeared with a pop. The next second, another Kakashi shot out from the water, kunai aimed at Zabuza's chest. He slashed violently, and a deep bloody gash appeared on Zabuza's chest.

"Urgh!" He backed off, sword raised weakly.

"It's over, Zabuza! The next blow will end your life!" Kakashi raised his kunai again.

"That… urgh!" He suddenly knelt over and collapsed in the water. Kakashi took a step back warily. A ploy? Then, he spotted the senbon in Zabuza's neck. Kakashi warily walked to Zabuza and touched his wrist, feeling for a pulse. Nothing.

"He's dead," Kakashi told Naruto.

"What?"

A rustling of leaves told them that they were not alone. Both turned to the trees, where a young boy with a white Hunter Mask dropped down from the branches. He raised his head to show the four wavy lines etched on the top of the mask. Kiri-nin. Hunter nin.

"I thank you for aiding me in finally dealing off with Momochi Zabuza. I've been tracking him for a while," the Hunter-nin said, shun-shining over to pick up Zabuza's body.

Naruto looked at Kakashi, who in turn shook his head tiredly. Naruto nodded, getting up from the water.

"I hope we don't meet again," Kakashi told the ninja. The ninja paused, nodded, before disappearing into the mist.

"Good job, Naruto," Kakashi turned to Naruto and gave a thumbs' up. He then wobbled dangerously on his two feet.

"Sensei!"

**That night, in Tazuna's house…**

"Tsunami-san. How are the ninjas doing?" Shiko asked as she helped the lady ladle soup out from the pot.

She laughed. "They're eating dinner now. Now that I came to think of it, why are you here in Wave with my father?"

"We hired the ninja together for a C-rank… I met him at the Hokage Tower that morning and he was just… frantic. Saying something about only having enough for a low D-rank or something. He was going to Wave too, so I figured that we could pool our money and get some ninja for a C-rank."

"Not enough… money…?" Tsunami's eyes were blazing. "The whole town starved for a month just to save enough money for the mission!"

"Is that so? I'd place that blame on his drinking. He looked like he was suffering from a hangover when I met him." Tsunami clenched and unclenched her hands, as if trying to throttle someone to death, only to stop and inflict the pain again. Shiko laughed and patted Tsunami's hand. "And their sensei?"

"Oh, him. The pink-haired girl said that he was only suffering from some chakra depletion. She gave him some pills and said that he'd be up by tomorrow."

A cough interrupted their conversation. Both girls looked at the door. Hatake Kakashi was standing there, looking a bit tired, but healthy none the less. He eye smiled at them. "Can I have some dinner? Best thing for chakra depletion is a nice, good meal made from the tender heart of a wonderful young maiden."

"Cough… cough… Liar."

The eye smile didn't waver. "Tsunami-san, is it?"

Tsunami blushed and passed a tray of food to Shiko. Shiko looked at Tsunami. Tsunami looked back. She sighed, "I get it…" She nodded at Kakashi and motioned for him to follow her into the dining room.

"She believed me." Kakashi slumped heavily onto one of the chairs in the room.

"I doubt that." Shiko set the tray down in front of him."Eat up."

"Mm… Actually, I came to check on your schedule," Kakashi looked at her seriously. "Since you were there at the fight, there's a chance that Zabuza may target you."

"I thought you got him? That's how you were able to get back?"

"After further thought, I realized that it is highly likely that he is still alive. A hunter nin got him with a senbon to the neck and took Zabuza away, but the dubious weapon used to kill and the actions of the hunter-nin… He actually used senbon…"

"Senbon just aren't used for killing," Shiko said, pondering slightly. "The damage done is relatively low, and they are mostly used to maim opponents for a short time. The neck, coincidentally, has a cluster of pressure points…"

"Right. So you do have some understanding of weapons. As expected of a black smith," Kakashi sighed. "And you could have played the role of a meek female client and go completely unnoticed by Zabuza. That would have made our job easier."

"Your line of profession isn't exactly the most easy and laid-back kind."

"True. So as I was saying, to ensure that you'll be provided with full protection, I need to know when you'll be meeting your clients. I'll send someone to escort you and the rest to the bridge or for training. In the meanwhile, I will also send for some back up. So, when will you be going out?"

Shiko thought for a while. "There'll be one tomorrow. Another two days later. The last one will be the day after that. That's… the sixth day."

"After which you will be escorted to the border of Wave," Kakashi concluded.

"Yeah… that's about it." Shiko nodded. A look passed through her eyes and she said to him "About the female genin… you're going to let this slide… in a way, right?"

Kakashi nodded wearily, "In a time like this, I cannot afford to throw away one member of the team like that. Sakura has the potential, but I need her to wake up and take shinobi life seriously or she'll never move forward. Don't worry. This conflict won't compromise you safety." Shiko nodded silently.

"Very well. I'll dispatch one from my team for every meeting, and escort you out of Wave personally. Yawn, I'm hungry…" Kakashi blearily stood up. "I'm going to eat dinner with my team. Coming?"

"No thanks, I'll have some girl time with Tsunami-san," Shiko passed him the tray and walked back to the kitchen.

**Next Day, noon…**

"I'm setting out," Shiko said, bowing to Tsunami. One of her packages was strapped to her back.

"Be careful, Shiko-chan. The people here… may not be so happy if you're carrying even high quality silk like that on your back," Tsunami warned, worried.

"SHIKO-SAN!" Naruto came charging out of the forest, startling the two women.

"Ah… Naruto, was it?" Shiko looked at the orange jumpsuit distastefully.

"Hey! Kakashi-sensei asked me to escort you to your client since I have tree climbing down! I'm the only one! Dattebayo! And then he asked me to do water-walking and I did that really fast too! Dattebayo! Just that… why didn't I think of doing that yesterday…" Naruto ranted under his breath.

"Oh…"

"Let's go!" Naruto tugged at her hand. "I'll make sure not a single bandit comes and harms you, ever!"

"Ack! Ok, I'm coming!" Shiko hurried away, trying to catch up to Naruto.

Tsunami waved, musing, "Oh dear… Is that how all ninjas act?"

**On the roads in Wave Country…**

Naruto was looking around for signs of threat, but was startled by the poverty that struck the city. He trailed slightly behind Shiko, a kunai hidden and ready in the sleeves of his orange jumpsuit.

"First time out, huh, gaki?" Shiko said over her shoulder.

Naruto nodded. "I haven't been out of the city for my whole life. But… this place… it's really… how do I say…"

"Run-down? Poor? Yes, Wave has been like this for a few years now ever since this business tycoon came to this part of the world. Not every village and city out there is as prosperous as Konoha, you know. Take Amegakure for example. I know from my travels that the village is still in a wreck from the last Shinobi War, even though they weren't directly involved in the fighting," Shiko told him. She met the eyes of a few citizens that were eyeing her package. "Watch out for the grey-haired man with the blue and white bandana beside the clothes store. He's giving a mean look at my package."

"Hai." Naruto noted down the features of the man who was staring intently at the long package strapped onto Shiko's back. "It's just not… I'm not used to seeing people, civilians, with such hopeless expressions. It's… a big change from the atmosphere in Konoha. By the way, Shiko-san, what is it that you're carrying?"

Shiko turned around and grinned at him. "Sorry! Customer's privacy!"

Naruto pouted. "It's not like I'm going to tell or anything, dattebayo!"

"Even so, I have to respect this customer's privacy. But I can tell you that this is not cheap. If not, I wouldn't be needing you shinobi to help guard me." Shiko touched the silk wrappings. "Especially in this city… One could make enough money to support his family comfortably for a few years if he manages to get hold and sell this thing over here to a reasonable dealer. I didn't want to take the risk."

Naruto grinned brightly. "Then let's go! Come one, I'll carry you! You're only a bit taller than me! This'll make it way faster!" Naruto picked her up piggy back style and began running towards the only inn in the entire town.

**That evening…**

Naruto and Shiko quietly entered the house. The package on her back was not there, and a small but very full and heavy bag replaced it on her waist.

"You're back!" Tsunami smiled brightly at them. "I just finished dinner. Come and have a bit with everyone!"

Naruto lead Shiko into the dining room, where a pair of tired and worn out Genin were sitting. Sakura glared at him, saying, "How did you do it so fast? Kakashi-sensei said that it should be harder for someone like you with a larger chakra reserve!"

Naruto grinned, "I'm a genius, dattebayo!"

Sakura's fist descended.

"Ow! Ok, ok, I had practice, ok? I spied on some older Genin team and saw them doing chakra exercises and I decided to try it out, ok?" Naruto clutched his head protectively.

Sakura crossed her arms and pouted. "And why didn't you tell us?"

"Um… it didn't cross my mind…?"

Her fists descended again.

Kakashi looked up from his Icha Icha Paradise. "Ma, ma, you should stop fighting. You're a bad influence to the kid."

"Kid?" Naruto and Sakura turned towards the door where a short, scrawny kid was standing.

Tsunami said, "I didn't introduce him last night because he didn't want to come out of his room. Everyone, this is Inari, my child."

"Yo, I'm Naruto and this is my team. The teme here is-"

"You're all idiots! You're gonna die!" Inari suddenly burst out.

Sakura's eye twitched. "Excuse me?"

"There's no way you can win against Gatou. He's going to kill you, just like he did with all the others! You don't know what a hard life this is!" Inari bolted from the room.

"What…?" Sakura said.

Tsunami bowed apologetically. "I'm sorry. He's been like this for a while. I hope he has not offended you."

"No, not at all," Kakashi waved a hand nonchalantly.

"But… strange isn't it, how the kid believes in Gatou so much," Shiko said out of the blue, looking out of the window. "Hard life, huh? Indeed, what a terrible life it is to be living in poverty. Surely all other trials and tribulations faced by others cannot come close to the pain of a few days of hunger and poverty." Naruto looked at his muddy shoes and frowned.

Sasuke gave a small nod. "He's certain that Gatou's going to kill us. What great trust he has in us."

"The client's lack in trust in us can be a potentially fatal thing," Kakashi murmured, flipping a page in his book. "This family is already seen as a weakness. If that kid doesn't trust us and runs off somewhere, he may be taken hostage and aggravate the situation."

"Kakashi-sensei, you don't have to make it sound so bad!" Sakura chided.

"But it's true."

Tazuna coughed. "Can we eat now? I don't think it's good to have such disturbing conversations at meal times…"

"Ah, speaking of disturbing conversations, I have some bad news," Naruto suddenly spoke up. Kakashi gestured for him to spill the beans. "I sent a Kage Bushin out while I was with Shiko-san, 'cause I had a bad feeling. It dispersed after a few hours. Apparently, Gatou is currently hiding away in a boat house a few miles from this village at a dock. Zabuza was meeting him, and the hunter-nin was there with him. On top of that, the Demon Brothers we saw on the way were there too. It seems that it was the wrong idea to leave them there in the woods. The Bushin tailed them until the Hinter-nin dispersed it. I suppose that confirms our suspicions?"

"Good job, dobe," Sasuke acknowledged.

"Of course, teme," Naruto stuck out his tongue. "By the way, Shiko-san, Gatou was saying something about not being really happy with your presence here. I think he said something about… illegal dealings and not getting permission from him to conduct business in this area. So I think he'll be sending some missing-nins after you too."

Kakashi groaned. "Great. Just when I was thinking of stepping up training."

"We can bring her to training!" Naruto suggested.

"True… Ok, I'll do up the shifts tonight. Backup will be arriving soon so we can afford to spend more time training. Just so you know, we'll most likely be training near the bridge this time." Kakashi yawned, still staring intently at the book.

"Oi, oi, will we really be okay with this guy?" Tazuna said warily.

**So, the next day…**

Kakashi lead the team to a clearing that was suspiciously near the bridge. It was as if he had cleared out the space with a nifty jutsu, though one could never be too sure…

"So!" Kakashi snapped his Icha Icha Paradise shut. "We'll be further honing out Chakra Control! I think you all have done this exercise before. Sakura, come over."

Sakura obediently went over. Kakashi picked up and leaf and placed it on her forehead, saying, "Okay, focus your chakra and make this leaf levitate a few inches above your head." Sakura's face scrunched up with concentration for a moment, before the leaf shakily rose a bit above her head.

"Higher."

Her eyebrows furrowed. The leaf shot up into the sky.

"Ara, there we go," Kakashi opened his book again. "To do this exercise, you need the fine chakra control and concentration to levitate the leaf steadily above your head. Take a few minutes to get the gist of it. Then, you'll be doing tree-walking combined with this new exercise. Hopefully by the end of the day, you'll be able to spar on the trees while keeping that leaf floating."

"That… sounds…" Naruto looked down, fists trembling. "AWESOME! We're going to be kick-ass shinobi by the end of this week!"

Kakashi patted Naruto on the head. "Okay, we get that. Get on with it, Naruto. Sakura, Sasuke, you too."

The next few minutes, only the sound of curses permeated the air. Naruto was scrambling to get more leaves after rocketing several beyond sight. Sasuke was doing the same, except in a more dignified and subtle way. Sakura, meanwhile, was managing to hold the leaf there for more than a minute or so until her concentration faltered.

"Good work, Sakura. You can go onto tree-climbing now." Kakashi said, not looking up.

"Great!" Sakura pumped the air. Sasuke and Naruto looked at her sheepishly.

"CanIhavesometips?" Sasuke and Naruto asked at the same time. They looked at each other, glared, and turned away, flushing.

Sakura thought for a while, before saying, "Well, Sasuke-kun, all I can say is that it's kinda like tree-climbing. Except that instead of sticking, you're trying to keep it away from you. What I did was to gently increase the chakra I used until it was at a decent height, then I focused on maintaining the level. Like this!" Sakura picked up a fallen leaf and placed it on her forehead. It rose a bit, and then was steadily floating two inches from Sakura's forehead.

…

Until, a gust of wind blew the leaf completely off her head.

"Ah…" The Genin looked at the fallen leaf.

"I suppose… I need to factor the environmental conditions too, huh?" Sakura scratched her head. "But to calculate the amount of chakra needed to maintain it, and how long… I guess I have to use this formula… but then it'll take too long…"

One though went through both boys' heads. _'This is going to be tough!'_

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "A gust of wind this strong in this clearing?" Shiko laughed behind her hand.

"Darn this is hard!" Naruto frowned and closed his eyes. The leaf slowly raised itself, and stayed three inches from his forehead. It held for a while before starting to rise and fall.

"Tche. Dobe." Sasuke scoffed. The leaf was drifting steadily on top of his head, though it fell a bit after Naruto's started to jerk around erratically.

Kakashi looked sideways at Shiko, who was sitting and chuckling at the Genin. Her remaining package was sitting beside her, propped on her shoulder. Another strong gust of wind blew through the clearing, followed by angry mutters and the rustling of leaves.

"What are you doing?" He asked out of curiousity.

Shiko looked up at him, the back at her package.

"Oh, this?" Shiko took out a long katana from the silk wrap and unsheathe it. "The customer requested for me to give it a name, so I was thinking of doing finding its name here while watching your brats train."

The katana gleamed dangerously in her hands. For some reason, Kakashi suddenly was glad that the girl beside him had no apparent shinobi training. The swords she had and made looked and were dangerous enough.

**Next Day… Same location…**

SNORE.

Naruto slept in the clearing, hands tucked under his head, legs spread out. The jacket he wore was discarded on a tree branch nearby, and with only his orange track pants and black shirt, it was obvious that he was dead cold.

Cold, pale fingers touched his face. Naruto jolted awake, right hand instantly grabbing the hidden kunai in his back pocket of his pants.

"Ah, sorry, I didn't mean to scare you!"

Naruto turned to the source of the voice. Beside him was someone who only looked two or three years older than him. A girl, he assumed, taking note of the soft pink yukata she donned and the long dark brown hair flowing unobstructed down her back.

"No, it's alright," Naruto sat up and yawned. "What are you doing here, so early in the morning? The mist hasn't even gone yet…"

The girl showed him a basket of assorted leaves and flowers. "I'm picking herbs. A dear person to me has gotten injured, and I'm using these herbs to heal him."

"Ah…" Naruto looked interestedly at the small collection of herbs. He picked out a yellow five-petal flower and held it to his eye. The whole flower, stalk and all, was barely bigger than his fingernail. "This is so small! How did you find it?"

The girl chuckled. "I just search the grass. These flowers are only open while the mist has yet to turn to dew, so that's why I'm here so early. And what are you doing here, Shinobi-san?"

Naruto spun the kunai in his hand. "I was training… but I think I fell asleep… Damn it, I need to get this exercise done, dattebayo! That teme already finished his task last night! Why can't I get it…" Somewhere in the clearing, a stomach growled.

"It seems like someone is hungry," the girl laughed. She reached into the sleeves of her yukata and pulled out half a pork bun. "Here, have it. You work better with a full stomach as opposed to an empty one."

Naruto accepted the bun and tucked in with gusto. "Oh, I haven't gotten you name! I'm Naruto! Uzumaki Naruto!"

"I'm Haku," the girl replied. She bent her head down and ran her fingers across the grass.

Naruto jumped up and squatted down. "Here, let me help you! This is for the pork bun!"

Haku smiled and showed him the herbs they had to pick. Naruto swiftly made three Kage Bushins and sent them to other parts of the clearing to look for the herbs while he stayed with Haku. He picked up a fallen leaf and began levitating it a bit over his forehead as he helped her look for herbs.

"Eh, so these tiny flowers can help swelling, huh? That's cool!" Naruto exclaimed, examining the tiny blue flower between his fingers. "I think I know just the person who would like to know this!"

"Say, who is this friend of yours? Is it… a girl? A crush?" Haku smiled mischievously.

"Huh? Who do you- Sakura-chan?" Naruto realized his mistake. "Ah! No, no! I meant, I meant, my client! She was only a bit older, so I sorta thought of her as a friend, dattebayo!"

The girl laughed, "Is that so? I don't think this friend is just your client, Naruto-kun."

"Uh…." Naruto rubbed his whiskered-cheek with a finger sheepishly. "Okay, don't tell anyone, kay?" Naruto bent closer to Haku and whispered something in her ear.

"I see," Haku said softly, as she bent down to pick several leaves. "If one truly has the desire to protect their important one, then his true powers can be fully used and he will become strong. Only when one is protecting the one they cherish can they truly be strong."

"Mm… That's true!" Naruto sat down and gazed up at the sky. "And you? Do you have any important people too?"

Haku looked surprised. The look then dissolved into a gentle and serene smile. "Yes, I do. Years ago, I was alone and with no one to turn to. But, soon, three people came into my life, and later a fourth, and since then, my list of important people has been growing."

"Heh! That's great!" Naruto grinned at her. "I hope I'll be on that list someday!"

Haku looked at him, shock once again on her face. She hastily looked down at her basket and ran a hand through the herbs. "I think this is enough for today. I shall go now, Naruto-kun." She got up and began walking out of the clearing.

"Oh. Alright. Bye, Haku-chan!" Naruto waved. "Will I see you again?"

Haku paused in his steps and turned slightly. She smiled slightly, "Perhaps, Naruto-kun, perhaps. If we could, like what we have right now, then I would truly wish to get to know you better in that meeting and eventually become one of your important people."

Naruto grinned at her.

"Oh, and I'm a guy, not a girl."

"EHHH?'

'_Silly boy.'_

**In the woods…**

"Zabuza is injured?"

"Mm, I got him the herbs needed. Gatou isn't providing any medical supplies, and even if he did, I wouldn't use them."

"I see. Here are my extra bandages. The wound from Kakashi seemed serious. Can you handle it?"

"Of course. Thank you for these. I was wondering where to get bandages in this city."

"It's nothing. Oh, and don't hold it against her for running off from the battle."

"I know. She wouldn't run off unless she had to. She has to gain the trust of those men, or it'd be hard for her to move about."

"Stay safe, Haku. They're getting back up."

"You too. Watch after Shiko-chan for me. I'll have to stay by Zabuza-sama's side to treat his wound."

"Ah. Things will go according to plan, after all."

**Sometime later… At the Bridge, where Kakashi was guarding Tazuna…**

A swift flick of his wrist sent a kunai disrupting the course of a poison dart headed towards Tazuna's back. Kakashi glared at the bushes, and the next instant, the presence was gone.

"Something wrong, Kakashi-san?"

"Hm?" Kakashi turned back to his smut. "No, it's nothing, Tazuna-san. Just a slight distraction."

Tazuna wiped his brow with a towel slung over her neck, nodded and returned to working at the bridge.

"I wonder how Naruto's doing," Kakashi mused to himself. His mind wandered from the smut to his orange genin, who had shown sudden brilliancy in the early stages of Chakra Control. Sure, he had practice. It was evident from the way he held himself when he first showed Kakashi his tree-walking. The posture was not of a rookie genin who had just learnt the technique, wary of the gravity and constantly checking his chakra to stay on, but rather of one that was sure of his flow of Chakra, standing confidently with his feet planted firmly on the bark.

But for someone who had mastered the tree-walking, he seemed to have difficulty in completing the new task set for him. Surely to channel Chakra to his forehead was not as hard as it seemed, especially after he had done the tree-walking so easily. After all, the feet were the hardest place to channel chakra, and he already had a firm grasp on both tree and water walking. Something was up with his number one most surprising genin. Something about him made he seem like the number one brightest genin, though his scores and dismal performance in his assessments proved otherwise.

Speaking of surprising, prodigious genin… Kakashi looked back at his smut, suddenly feeling detached from the novel he was so into. He closed the book and shoved it into his kunai pouch, sighing and leaning against a tree as he watched Tazuna lazily. Great teams never seemed to last. Even the Legendary Sannin on Konoha… well, look what Konoha did to them.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Kakashi broke out of his thoughts and turned to his female genin.

"Yes, Sakura?"

"Some team from Konoha is here!" Sakura yelled, a tinge of annoyance yet relief obvious in her tone.

Kakashi snapped his book closed and turned to the group of 5 that had arrived. He raised an eyebrow at the female jounin.

"Kurenai-san? That was earlier than expected?" He walked towards the group.

The black haired red eyed kunoichi gave a smirk. "We departed the moment we got the mission. And we're fast people. Unlike someone who's always late…"

Kakashi chuckled and turned to the extra member of the group. The sickly man coughed into his hand, looking away. "Alright, Hayate-san?"

Hayate nodded and coughed again. "Hokage-sama thought you needed some extra help, especially since you're up against one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. So here I am."

"Sensei, why are they here?" Sakura cried indignantly beside him.

Kakashi shot her a sharp look. She gulped and backed off a few steps.

"Um, Sakura-san… We're here to provide assistance. Our senseis and Hayate-san will be engaging in combat against those missing-nins but we'll be stationed to protect Tazuna-san and his family…" Hinata said to the pink haired girl.

"Hmph!" Sakura looked away. "Sasuke-kun's good enough!"

Shino looked at her. "Considering that he and Naruto-san are the only ones that will be protecting Tazuna-san, I have to say that those two will be hard pressed to keep up with the two Demon Brothers, Momochi Zabuza's clones as well as the Hunter-nin on their side. That's four, and more, against three."

Sakura's face grew red. Kakashi pushed her back, preventing her from retaliating. Kurenai looked at Shino severely.

"Shino, I expected more of you," Kurenair scolded.

Shino bowed his head. "My apologies, Kurenai-sensei."

At the side, Kiba placed his hands behind his head and paced around. "Well, chill out everyone! We got a liar to protect."

Kakashi looked at Team 8. Hopefully this will be alright… for now. He glared at the trees, and a slight rustle signaled that the one who was spying on them was gone.

Hayate followed his gaze and sighed. This was going to be worth more than his pay, for sure. He added a cough to the end of the thought.

**Whew… I don't know why but some person… got me into Naruto and I read the whole series in three days. Yes, I read 500 over chapters in 3 days. Yes, I nearly didn't eat or sleep.**

**This was a sort of idea I got while reading it. Again, OC. Expect to see some overused plot somewhere along the road. But I kind of like the idea, so yeah. Here. Don't like, don't read. It was nice seeing you.**

**Alright, here's a tiny take out scene which I found to be ill-fitting in the context. It was a little attempt at humor, but I don't think it went that well. It's sort of irrelevant and slightly OOC, so I cut it off and replaced it with a more controlled scene. Enjoy, because I was laughing my guts off when I was typing it out.**

**TAKE OUTS:**

Scene Demon Bros with Team 7:

"Give us the old man and this pretty bitch survives!" one of them called out, putting his claw to her neck.

Eyes glinted dangerously. "WHO THE HELL WERE YOU CALLING A BITCH!" She swung her foot forward, and then swung it back at surprising speed, hitting one of them in the place where the sun doesn't shine. His eyes bulged out and veins exploded, kneeling and grabbing hold of the injured area.

The other ninja let go immediately, backing away, not wanting to the victim of another of those life-threatening kicks.

Shiko wobbled on her feet, lifting the foot she connected with the ninja. She looked at Kakashi and said, "I think it's broken."

Kakashi sweat dropped. "How do you get a broken foot by kicking someone there?"

"I don't know. I think he had some armour down below, but I shattered it when I kicked… it broke my foot though, so it's hurting like crap," She shrugged nonchalantly.

'_I'M MORE WORRIED ABOUT THE GUY WHO HAS SHATTERED ARMOUR DOWN BELOW!'_

Meanwhile, the other half of the Demon Bros was staring in horror at his brother, shocked at what he had just heard.


	3. Chapter 2: Storm of Peace

**Heaven's Door, Hell's Window**

**Chapter 2**

_I don't want to remember this._

"_I'll go."_

"_What?"_

"_Taicho and senpai-tachi are all wounded and tired from the battle. If I go alone, then there is a higher chance that we will be able to retrieve the Egg from the Iwa base."_

"_Like hell I'm letting you go alone! People who don't follow rules are trash but-"_

"_Now is no time for your ideals! You do realize the consequences of failing this mission, don't you?"_

_And I do. I know it so well I don't even want to know it. _

"_Urgh…"_

"_Taicho… It cannot be helped-"_

"_I'm not sending one of my men out to that death camp!"_

_That's right. I shouldn't be doing this!_

"_It will be a death camp if we tag along."_

"_You…"_

"_Please understand, taicho. We cannot afford to fail."_

_But why-!_

"_Gr!"_

"_I promise I'll come back."_

"_Wha-"_

"_I promise. So please, treat your injuries. I'll come back in two hours, and we will return to Konoha as a team. It's a promise."_

…_I don't even know if you can fulfill that promise but… Damn it!_

"_I got it."_

"_Then I'm off. See you… taicho… senpai…"_

_No! This is… this is-! Your promise-! Don't go!_

Kakashi jolted out of bed, dripping cold sweat all over the crumpled bed sheets. He breathed heavily, pulling his mask down for better ventilation.

"Kakashi-san?"

Kakashi turned to the fellow shinobi. Hayate was standing beside his bed, hands raised apprehensively, as if he was about to wake Kakashi from the dream. Good thing he had hesitated or a kunai would have found its way to him by now.

"Sorry… Hayate-san…" Kakashi said, still breathing heavily. "Did I wake you?"

Hayate chuckled. "I was taking first watch. Or did you forget that?"

"Ahaha… I think I forgot. Wait, first watch?" He looked at the clock sitting beside the bed. 1.00am. Way too early to be doing anything.

Hayate sat down on the edge of the bed. "Bad dream? Wanna talk about it?"

Kakashi hesitated, pulling his legs out from under the bed sheets and crossed them.

"It's alright-"

"No. I… need to talk a little," Kakashi sighed, resting his elbows on his knees and leaning forward on them.

Hayate took a small cough, eyeing the door, but then turned his attention back to Kakashi.

"Hey… Hayate-san… do you remember a retrieval mission around 6 or 7 years back? I remember you were part of the team… as a Chunin…" Kakashi asked.

Hayate closed his eyes and thought. "Was it… the one to Iwa?"

"Yeah. The one where…" Kakashi swallowed, trying to get rid of the lump that was interfering him in his speech. "Where… two members of the ANBU platoon 19 were… caught by Iwa troops."

"Where… one member of the Team 'Tensai'… Platoon 19… died?" Hayate said cautiously.

Kakahi nodded. Hayate sighed.

"Bringing up the past again?"

"No… I had a dream about that. Actually, it was a dream about… how the rescue was needed in the first place," Kakashi placed a palm on his face. "The other one… sacrificed… to… make sure the rest of the team could get out… Heh, now that I think about it… if I had been a better leader, that person wouldn't have needed to go through all that… that torture…" Kakashi let out a cold chuckle. "She was never really the same after that."

"The girl, right?" Hayate looked at the ground. "I remember her. After all, I was the one that carried her back to Konoha, and then to the hospital."

Kakashi looked at Hayate. "This mission… reminds me of that. It's not only Zabuza. There are unknown threats out there. I know for one that the one constantly spying on us… had I not been aware, I would have missed that person completely. In other instances, I thought that that person was deliberately making his presence known. It's… dangerous, even for three Jounin…"

Hayate nodded. "I would agree. Momochi Zabuza, the Demon Brothers, and Zabuza's apprentice. On top of that, the mysterious one that is spying on us… If we are to assume that the three missing nins are as strong as what the Bingo Books have said, and the apprentice is on the level of an ANBU, then three Jounins would have their hands full trying to deal with all of them. On top of that, the spy…"

"If he can hide from us, he can hide from the Genin. Hinata-san's Byakugan would help, but if that person is as every bit as skilled as the rest of them, they wouldn't stand a chance. All six of them would… Well, I wouldn't say the same for Naruto, and possibly Sasuke… but…" Kakashi sighed, leaning on the head board of the bed. "I feel… like I'm sending my team once more into a death camp. We should have retreated when we had the chance."

"It's not like you to worry so much," Hayate patted Kakashi's knee. "The ANBU taicho and son of the White Fang is hardly as doubtful of his own abilities as you are right now."

Kakashi shook his head. "These are young lives. We're risking young children's lives on this mission."

"And it will help them grow. What doesn't kill them will make them stronger."

Kakashi sighed.

Hayate quirked an eyebrow.

"There's nothing we can do now. All we can hope now is that the mission will go as smoothly as possible, and that by some stroke of luck, the spy isn't on Zabuza's side."

Kakashi nodded, muttering, "I'm not going to lose my team again. Not again."

"You won't," Hayate assured. "Not with us around." He got up and stretched. "I'll take over your shift too. Get some sleep. Chakra Exhaustion is a bitch."

Kakashi laughed weakly, dropping back onto the pillows.

"Oh, and Kakashi-san?"

"Hm?" He turned to Hayate, who was half out of the door.

"Do you remember… What was the name… of the girl?"

Kakashi's eyes darkened. "I believe… she told me that her name was… Nadeshiko."

Hayate nodded, leaving the room silently.

**That night, in a clearing in the deeper parts of the forest…**

"Haku?"

"Yes, Neji-kun?" the older boy stepped out from behind the trees. Both males walked towards each other until they were in the centre of the clearing.

"Back up from Konoha - they arrived today. We're now up against 3 jounins and a Tokubetsu jounin, along with 6 genin." Neji reported, touching the hitai-ite covering his eyes. Haku nodded and sighed, looking away.

"Zabuza-sensei, the Demon Brothers and me… against 4 of them…" Haku laughed weakly. "Not very good chances for us… I suppose. Guess Zabuza-sensei had bad luck when choosing missions, ne?"

Neji touched Haku's arm, before gripping it tightly. He said, insistently, "We won't die from this mission. No one will. If need be, we too will step in."

Haku shook his head. "The mission comes first."

"Our lives to our benefactor comes first."

"They may recognize you. You both. Especially her."

"For me, Hinata at best. For her, perhaps one or two of the jounin. The blond gaki already knows her. Don't forget that she's supposed to be dead on Konoha records." Neji stepped closer to Haku. "We will complete the mission and get away with our lives. We are fated to be more than faceless soldiers that die alone."

Haku smiled and hugged the younger boy tenderly. "You're sweet when you're protective like this, Neji-kun."

Neji blushed at that instant. "W-what?"

Laughing, Haku let go of Neji and hopped back into the shadow of the trees. He turned over his shoulder and said, "Zabuza-sensei will be healed soon. He's already up and complaining about getting some sword swinging done! After that, we grab what we need and do what we need to do…"

"And we'll be off, like a storm passing by, disappearing into the skies," Neji completed. He nodded and gave a tiny smile, "I'll be in the trees and preparing to step in should it prove to be too disadvantageous to you all."

Haku rolled his eyes. "Really, 4 jounins against us all?"

"Don't underestimate them. They will work well as a team."

"Yes, yes, but so do we," Haku winked and disappeared with a quick shunshin.

Neji kicked the mossy ground, murmuring to himself, "I suppose we do… huh?"

**Next Day, Early In The Morning…**

Shiko put on her shoes and stepped out into the misty grounds of Tazuna's house, breathing in the cool morning air with a bright smile.

"Wow, you're energetic today."

Shiko turned around to see the Tokubetsu jounin standing at the doorway, sword strapped to his back and sandals on. She cocked her head to the right as she struggled to remember his name.

"Hayate. Gekko Hayate," Hayate gave a short bow. Shiko followed suit.

She chuckled, "Sorry about that. Names always escape me…"

"No, no, it's alright," Hayate smiled back, only to cough the next second. When the coughing subsided, he said, "I'll be escorting you today, so please, lead the way."

"Um…" Shiko eyed him warily. "Are you sure? You seem… sick."

That was way blunt. Hayate coughed again, but straightened up and showed that he was able to stand on his own two feet without dropping dead.

"Let's be on our way then," Hayate gave a small smile and gestured to the road. Nodding apprehensively, she lead the way into the main streets of the poor town.

Hayate watched the female blacksmith from behind with masked curiosity. It was the first time he was up close with her, and it was only the day before that he was introduced to her. He found her… intriguing.

"So, where are we headed?" He asked.

Shiko turned to look at him over her shoulder, replying, "A motel."

His eyebrows twitched. "A… motel…? Someone as young as you…?"

She laughed, turning around fully to face him. He stopped in his tracks, raising his eyebrows. Grinning, she said, "I'm only 16, so you know."

Instantly, a blush covered his cheeks. He looked away, embarrassed upon realizing what he had subtly insinuated. "S-sorry…"

"It's alright, really," Shiko waved her hands at him. "I didn't really make it clear so that fault lies in me too…" She turned back to the road and resumed walking.

"Your client isn't from Wave, " Hayate said, making it sounding more like a statement than a question.

"Do you seriously expect someone from this poor country to afford a sword? They are hard-pressed to even earn enough to find food," Shiko said solemnly. "Wave is the best place for this business, save for the presence of Gatou, because in this kind of conditions, no one would really care even if someone bought potentially dangerous and illegal weapons in. In fact, they would even seal their mouths shut for eternity for a bit of cash. This makes it easier for those who wish to procure weapons in secret. In this case, I'm providing maintenance for an old client who doesn't really want to let others know where his sword came from."

"You don't make trips to the clients themselves?"

Shiko smiled. "Why would I put myself in all that unnecessary danger, hm?"

_Makes sense._ Hayate nodded to himself.

"By the way…" she looked at him again. "Could I have a tiny look at your sword later?"

"What?" Hayate's hand instantly went to the sword strapped to his back.

"Oh! I just thought that your sword… it's really nicely crafted, when I last caught a glimpse of it yesterday…" she twiddled with her thumbs. "It's alright if you don't want me to…"

Hayate blinked, then he started to chuckle. "Alright, but you have to give it some professional maintenance in return."

"Got it!" She smiled brightly, stopped in front of a run-down building. She looked at it, and then glanced back at Hayate. "I'll be fine from here. Could you wait outside for me?"

"Inside…"

"To protect the client's privacy and identity."

"I understand," he sighed in resignation and leant against the wall of the building. "I'll be right here."

Shiko smiled and went in.

**Wavey Motel, Room 402…**

"You're late."

"Sorry, sorry."

"Hn. Get this over and done with. I need it to be in top condition for the battle."

"I know. Be grateful that I reserved this day in advance for you, or you would have to find someone else to do it for you." There was a rustling a cloth as she unpacked a box from its casing.

"…"

"But should you even be moving around? I know you were injured quite badly then."

"It'll take more than that to stop me. I don't die that easily."

"Heh, I suppose you're right." She took the zanbato from him and held it in the light. "It's been long since I've last held him…"

"My Kubikiri Hochou… treat it with care."

"I hope you wouldn't see me as an immature child. I've done this many times for you already."

"Hmph. You're still a kid."

There was a deafening silence.

"I stopped being a kid 10 years ago."

"… Sorry, my mistake."

**One hour later…**

Shiko stretched as she walked out of the motel. Hayate, who was silently meditating while still leaning on the wall, cracked open an eye.

"Done?"

"Mm. Your sword now?" A flash of light came back into her tired eyes.

"Sure," Hayate pushed himself off the wall. "Let's return to Tazuna's first, okay?"

**With Kakashi, at the bridge…**

Kakashi eye-smiled as he watched numerous Naruto-clones helping about with the construction of the bridge. Another half-a-dozen workers had pulled out that morning, and with only less than 10 workers left, it was crazy to think that they would finish the bridge in time.

Thank god for Naruto and his crazy amount of chakra.

Sasuke and Sakura were helping too, of course. They were stationed further away – strategically – so that they could protect him from all angles if the need for it arose.

And he was at the sidelines, reading his smut – cough, Icha Icha… No, he wasn't actually. He was trying to search for that elusive spy that had been watching them for the entire duration of the trip. Now that there was backup, he considered dealing with that person before the fight with Zabuza – for a peace of mind.

He closed his eyes (both of them) and focused, seeking out the chakras of the people all around them. The ones on the bridge he was familiar with – Sasuke, Sakura, Tazuna, and the multiple copies of Naruto's running about. The others were weak and insignificant – 10 in total. That matched up.

Moving on… Kurenai and her three genin were training near the house where Tsunami and Inari were. Check… to the multiple of 6.

Hayate was quite a distance away. He had yet to feel Shiko's, but considering the distance and that he was not a professional chakra sensor, that was hardly anything to be surprised about. Hayate's chakra was calm and meditative so everything should be alright.

Other than that, he couldn't sense a thing. Well, he couldn't sense a thing worthy to be wary about. Everything else was… weak and civilian.

So the spy wasn't here today? Kakashi doubted that.

Somehow, he had managed to hide his chakra away so well that Kakashi couldn't even sense him. Either that or he had diminished it to levels of no more than an average civilian's, thus allowing him to blend in with the other civilians.

Kakashi eyed the trees. Not a leaf out of place.

Where else could he possibly hide then? Further away? Further than where Hayate was?

How then, could he be spying on them then?

That's if, if he was spying on _them._

A shiver ran up his spine.

Kakashi reopened his eyes, feeling the weariness from the intense concentration needed for the sensory work. The orange blobs running around the bridge alleviated the headache pounding his head, if only but slightly.

"Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi looked down at the Naruto standing in front of him, squinting his eyes adorably to look at what was visible of his sensei's face.

"Yes?" Kakashi ruffled Naruto's bright yellow spikey hair, closing his unread Icha Icha. "Why aren't you working on the bridge?"

Naruto scrunched up his face, pouting, "Mou, there are already so many clones up there working that the bridge will be completed even if all the workers quit today! At least let the original take a breather!"

Kakashi chuckled at that. Yep, that was his number one most surprising ninja.

"Ne, Sensei… are you alright? You look tired," Naruto asked. Kakashi smiled beneath his mask. If it was one thing that distinguished the blond from the rest, it was his uncanny perceptiveness.

"I'm alright. Just a bit exhausted… Didn't really sleep well last night," Kakashi let out a small yawn.

Naruto frowned for a moment, before a flash of inspiration came to his face. He grinned brightly and exclaimed, "Just wait here sensei, dattebayo!"

"Eh?" Before Kakashi could blink, Naruto had already run off.

"EH? SENSEI, WHY IS NARUTO RUNNING AWAY?" Sakura's screech could be heard even though he had stationed her furthest away from him. Kakashi rubbed his ear, wincing form the unbelievable volume.

"SENSEI!"

"I asked him to run an errand for me!" Kakashi yelled back, deciding to lie to his student for once.

"EH WHY NARUTO? WHY DOESN'T HE HAVE TO WORK AS WELL?" Sakura was scowling, hands on her waist.

Kakashi gestured to the orange blobs around them. "If anything, Naruto's doing 50 times the work you are right now, Sakura."

Sakura huffed and returned back to her own work – wiping the completed parts of the bridge down.

"Kakashi-sensei!" The jounin turned back to the incoming orange blob. Naruto skidded to a halt in front of Kakashi, hands holding a steaming cup of coffee in a Styrofoam cup. He grinned and passed it to Kakashi, who took it, surprised.

"Where…"

"I got it from one of the eateries around here! I figured that sensei might want some coffee since he's so tired and the money could go some way into helping the people's lives!" Naruto grinned, rubbing the back of his head.

The smile was back. Kakashi couldn't be more grateful to his mask than now, or his students would catch him grinning like a fool at such a simple act like this. That wouldn't do. His reputation as the scary, S-ranked Copy Ninja would be… he didn't want to think about that.

Eye-smiling at the blond's grinning face, Kakashi couldn't help but feel proud at his number one most surprising ninja. He didn't have Sakura's intelligence and natural chakra control (though thank god could control his volume, a trait Sakura had yet to fully master) nor Sasuke's Sharingan (that would help in training and such but the kid had yet to really unlock the Kekkai Genkai yet) but he had traits thing that none of the other two ever showed signs of possessing.

Kindness. Compassion. Empathy.

The blond would surpass the other two in ways beyond imagination. Kakashi could feel it.

And he was glad. Naruto was so much like _her._

The thought drew a wince from Kakashi. Naruto immediately picked the slight movement up, and was instantly alert.

"Sensei?"

Kakashi struggled to control his breathing, pressing the back of his palm to his Sharingan eye in an attempt to ease its aching. The memory unwillingly rose to his mind.

"_Taicho."_

"_Hn?"_

"_We should stop. You all are in no condition to keep moving."_

"_The mission-"_

"_Weasel-senpai is injured in the leg. He can't proceed smoothly if he doesn't receive treatment."_

"_How did you -! … urgh…"_

"_Fine. Five minutes break. Get everything done by then."_

"_Thank you, taicho."_

Kakashi opened his eyes, meeting the blue ones of his student.

"Naruto?"

"Are you alright, sensei? You blacked out for a moment." Naruto touched Kakashi's forehead, slipping his fingers underneath the hiati-ite. The cool fingers were a welcomed relief to the headache Kakashi was feeling.

Kakashi leaned into the touch, trying to use the cool feeling to block out the unwanted memories.

"Sensei?"

"_Taicho."_

"_Hn?"_

"_Your ankle."_

"_Ah… how did you…"_

"_Intuition. And observation. Taicho never favoured a leg over another."_

"…_Thanks."_

"_It's my duty, Taicho."_

Kakashi reopened his eyes again. With a sigh, he pulled Naruto's hand off his forehead and patted the kid on his shoulder.

"Are you alright now, sensei?"

"Yeah. Just a little sleep attack, y'know," Kakashi smiled at the blond, not that he could see it through the mask…

"Ah… alright," Naruto pressed the warm Styrofoam cup to Kakashi's hand. Kakashi's eyebrows rose. Naruto grinned at his sensei and said, "Drink this and get better, dattebayo! I'm going back to help with the bridge!"

Yes, that boy was meant for great things. He should consider enrolling them for the Chunin exams…

"_Are you okay? Do you need to rest?_

"_Hm? Me? I'll be okay."_

_Liar._

**That evening, back at Tazuna' house…**

Team 7 walked back into the house, weary from the full day of work. The three genin immediately slumped down on the remaining empty chairs and rested their heads of the table. Kakashi sat down in a more dignified way, but his posture clearly showed his tiredness.

"Kakashi… you alright?" Kurenai asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

Kakashi gave a lazy nod. The female genjustsu specialist pursed her lips, but turned back to Tsunami and helped her with dinner.

"Where's… Shiko-san?" Naruto asked, looking around.

"Ano…" Hinata poked her fingers together as she picked out utensils for dinner. "I think she was at the back with Hayate-san… They were swinging a sword around… or maybe it was two…"

Kakashi paled. "Swinging… Hayate-san's sword around?"

"Ah…"

"Don't worry," Shino, who had been quietly staying out of the way of dinner preparations (mostly due to his bug condition and how Tsunami seemed quite appalled by it), said. "I have watched them and they seem quite proficient in what they are doing."

"But Shiko-san looks so-" Sakura stood up. "I'm going to see them."

Naruto stood up as well and silently head towards the backdoor. Not a second later, Sasuke followed suit. Kakashi sighed heavily and got to his feet.

"Might as well," he winked and left the kitchen.

Kurenai abandoned her task and gestured for her students to follow her. "It'll be a good chance for any of you who intend to take up kenjutsu." None of them looked like the type to pick up a sword.

Tsunami watched them leave one by one, leaving her all alone in the kitchen.

"Who's going to help me feed a hoard of hungry kids now? Forget it! I'm going to watch too!" She tossed the ladle she was holding back into the pot and marched to the backyard where the shinobi were gathered.

And her jaws dropped.

Hayate was wielding his sword, going through his form of a delicate and fast sword style. It was almost breathtaking to see the sword flash through the air, leaving many after images as it danced graceful arcs in the air. He made one last swing, and stopped in a firm stance, breathing slightly heavier than usual.

Someone was clapping. All eyes turned to Shiko, whose normally light and carefree face was replaced with a serious and business like expression.

"Amazing… the sword compliments the style so perfectly I couldn't have made a better one for you myself," Shiko sighed, shoulder drooping slightly.

Hayate blushed slightly, though it could have just been the flush from going through his kenjutsu form. "Ah… Thanks."

"Haven't been complimented before?" She teased, but reverted to the serious expression once more. "The sword is custom made, isn't it? The length and width suits you perfectly – the sword style is so much more efficient with it. The slight curve at the end – it also served to make up the overextension in your arm, right?"

Hayate's eyes widened. "You found out that much… just by looking at me?"

Kakashi drew in a sharp breath. That girl was potentially dangerous. Just as perceptive and sharp as… Her…

Shiko shrugged nonchalantly. "My master was quite adamant about us learning to read our clients… Noticing these things is second nature to me. But the craftsman who made your sword is truly on a level above the rest. Within family, perhaps?"

Hayate nodded, sheathing his sword. "My uncle. He was physically unable to use the Dance of the Crescent Moon style, thus he devoted his life into learning the way of crafting a sword just for our family style."

"Impressive."

"Um… sword talk?" Sakura scratched the back of her head. "I don't really get it. Isn't a sword just… a sword?"

Two death glares were instantly on her. She squeaked and hid behind a pillar.

Kakashi pulled her out from behind the pillar and made her look straight at the two sword maniacs. "A sword is hardly just a piece of sharpened metal, Sakura. I don't expect you to understand right now, but to some, these swords may just be another part to their soul or even an extension of their own body. Don't insult it, ever again. Not even in your own bathroom." Sakura gulped and nodded.

Tsunami remained ogling at the sword.

"Hey… I'm hungry…" Kiba complained. His stomach rumbled just at the right moment.

Tsunami woke out of her trance and looked away, flustered.

"I'll serve dinner right away!"

The females in the group, including Shiko, left for the kitchen to help out.

Kakashi walked towards Hayate. The swordsman looked at Kakashi and gave a small furrowing of the eyebrows.

"I wouldn't say she's suspicious yet, but… It's quite scary how someone so young can have such a perceptive view of weapons," Hayate admitted, touching the hilt of his sword. "If we could have her in Konoha… She'll be a force to be feared, even if she's not an enlisted ninja."

"I can see that," Kakashi muttered. "What are the chances that she's related to Gatou and his goons?"

"I see no chance."

"Really?"

"She's more likely to be part of something bigger."

"Aa…" Kakashi stuffed his hands into his pockets and sighed. "A threat?"

"No."

"Not yet."

"I don't believe she'll do us any harm. Her interest in my sword was pure, genuine curiousity. I can tell. Everyone who holds that love in swords will look at another's in that way," Hayate patted Kakashi on the shoulder, walking back to the house. "Relax, senpai. She'll be gone in two days. You can breathe then."

"Zabuza will most likely be up and well in two days." Hayate stopped in his tracks.

"Then I suppose we'll just have one less burden to worry about," He commented, continuing his way back to the house.

Kakashi stared at his hands, contemplating on what he had just said.

"Burden… huh?"

**Next Day…**

Hinata stepped out of the house, hand on her hitai-ite to make sure it was firmly tied onto her forehead. The air was unusually cold that day, and she shivered under her thick jacket.

"Are you cold?"

Hinata turned to look at the brown haired client. She blushed and twiddled with her thumbs.

"Um…"

Shiko smiled and took off her coat, draping it around Hinata's slender form. "Here! Can't have you catching a cold here, can I? Your name's… Hinata-chan right?"

Hinata blushed further, hugging the coat to her. "Y-yes… Thank… y-you. Aren't you… c-cold too?"

Shiko raised her eyebrows. "Hm? Me?" She laughed lightly, "I'm used to the cold. The place where I come from is quite cold, and it's quite hard to walk around in 3-inch thick coats every day."

Hinata nodded in understanding. "I… see…"

Shiko hoisted the package onto her back and secured it firmly. She smiled at the girl, "Shall we go then?"

Hinata nodded. "Shino-san has placed a few bugs on me that will alert him if anything happens. He'll give us backup if we need it."

Shiko nodded and they set off towards the city.

Hinata looked shyly at the older girl. She walked with her back straight, head tilted slightly to give her confidence but not arrogance – something most of the people in the Main Branch had yet to master – and smiled – nothing to big, just a warm and small one. She immediately envied the girl for that.

"Hinata-chan, you're part of a really big clan, right?"

Hinata looked up sharply at that, blushing again. "Y-yes… I suppose…"

"Wow, that's wonderful!" Shiko clapped her hands together. "Having so many people as relatives… it feels as if you can never get lonely!"

Hinata looked down silently, hands clenched tightly.

"…Hinata-chan?"

She could feel heat prickling behind her eyes.

"Ah! Hi-hinata-chan, don't cry!" Shiko was immediately flustered. "It's my bad to talk about your family… I was too curious for my own good…"

Hinata shook her head furiously, wiping away the tears that had escaped her eyes. "No… It's just that… it's… really lonely… even though there're so many people, it's still really lonely in the house…"

Shiko hummed softly.

Hinata touched her hitai-ite, smiling bitterly, "S-sorry… I must be really w-weak… crying over s-such a trivial… thing…" She pulled it off, revealing the mark that had been branded onto her forehead. "I… it must h-have been be-because of t-that… t-that's why I… h-have been… de…demoted into… the branch family…"

Shiko looked at Hinata, pausing in her walking.

Hinata sobbed, cradling her hitai-ite. "E-even though I p-promised not to cry… b-because he h-has it s-so m-much worse t-than me… And y-yet he s-still smiles… like i-it's n-not a pro-problem... I… r-really am w-weak…" She scrunched up the dark cloth and cried, "H-how did I… be-become a n-ninja…?"

Shiko touched Hinata's shoulder, making her look up. She patted her head and wiped away the tears, smiling gently, "From what I see, Hinata-chan is strong."

She was stunned. She? That was the first time… anyone has said that to her…

"Because Hinata-chan can admit her weaknesses… that gives her much more strength and bravery that all others. That's why… Hinata-chan is strong no matter where she comes from, or what her background is!"

Hinata blinked back her tears, giving a strong nod.

"T-thank… thank you!"

Shiko laughed, taking Hinata's hand and swinging it as she resumed walking. Hinata followed her, quickly falling into pace beside her.

"I think… Shiko-san is strong too…" Hinata mumbled.

Shiko looked at her in surprise.

"Because Shiko-san c-can comfort people… and make them feel as if they can r-rely on her… That's why even if they're about to fall, Shiko-san is like a pillar that will always be there to help them stay up…" Hinata blushed.

Shiko blinked at Hinata.

Hinata flushed.

"You didn't stutter!"

Hinata blinked.

Shiko flushed.

They burst out laughing.

"Let's get going… Hinata-chan!" Shiko chuckled and jogged along the path.

"Ah! Yes!"

**In the trees…**

Neji leaned against the trees heavily, gritting his teeth over the conversation he had just heard.

"Hinata… a branch family member? Then who's the heir?" He punched the tree angrily. "What's wrong with the Hyuuga clan these days?"

"_Neji-nii-sama!"_

"Hinata…" Neji shook his head, sighing. "It's no use… Even after giving up the life of the Hyuugas and earning freedom from that fate… they who possess that accursed bloodline still continue to haunt me…"

He pulled the bandages down, feeling his forehead. The blue Bird Cage Seal was still there, but on it was a spiral of red butterflies, each made of intricate and tiny seals, so small that it was impossible to see it without enhanced vision.

"I… cannot escape the Hyuugas. 5 years of running from them, training and becoming more than what they can ever hope to be… the 5 years of happiness must be disrupted… because it is my fate to cross paths with the Hyuugas once again, and cut these ties off once and for all." Neji gripped his bandages tightly, white eyes blazing with the cold feeling of resolution.

**Whoah… I didn't think this chapter was done all that well… but I liked Neji's rant about fate even if it didn't really make much sense when I reread it. No, I was kidding. Neji is cute when he rants about destiny and fate and how shitty his life is… was… Hope you liked the chapter!**


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